AFL Round 6 – Adelaide v Hawthorn: Cloudy with a chance of Hawks

It didn’t matter who was going to win today, feathers were going to fly in the match between the Hawks and the Crows. I pored over the local press to see if there was an off chance that Taylor Walker was playing this weekend and that his knee injury was just a big hoax to bluff the hawks into thinking that the Crows were wounded. Unfortunately for the Crows, the photos of Walker hobbling about on crutches were not photo shopped images – they were the real thing.

Now before going any further with this missive, I must declare that my interest in this game is purely football. Although hailing from Adelaide, I have no allegiance to the local birds. (In hushed tones) I am a supporter of that mob from Windy Hill – you know – the mob that all those allegations have been leveled at. Herself – well she’s a Power supporter (no, seriously), so the two of us went along to see Hawthorn play for the first time in a long time. As a joke, I asked Herself if she would like to wear a Crows scarf to keep warm. If she had been standing any closer to me when I said it, her return stare would have decalcified my spinal column.

The Hawks were coming to Adelaide with a very ordinary win/loss ratio at AAMI stadium against the Crows. Would history repeat itself, or would a new tradition begin? I had wondered over the past couple of weeks whether the shine had rubbed off the Crows after their great 2012 season and they were now settling into the “comfort zone” of the coach/player relationship.

Of significance if you were a Crows fan was the fact it was Big Ben Rutten’s 200th game. Not an insignificant milestone, and the Crows were going out to “win it for the Truck”. The other issue of note was the fact that Adelaide’s hopes of a final berth were becoming altogether slimmer by the week and a win tonight was necessary.

The Hawks on the other hand came to AAMI understanding that they had to win in order to continue their quest for the 2013 flag. Their “rep” depended on it.

The match started predictably enough. It became evident that in spite of any noticeable breeze (the windsock was as limp as a three day old salad) the northern end was the scoring end. Rutten won the toss and elected to kick to the southern end. It was pressure football to say the least, making the game seem like it should be called ‘handball’.

The question on my mind right from the get-go was – who was going to mind Buddy? Franklin has kicked 36 goals in 11 matches against Adelaide before and Coach Sanderson surprised many by giving Daniel Talia that job rather than the 200 gamer Rutten. It was to prove a master-stroke as Buddy was restricted to kicking only one minor score for his 17 possessions. Talia played superbly, sticking to Franklin like a fly on a Christmas ham.

Hawthorn’s other go-to player, Jarryd Roughead was minded by Big Ben and restricted to one major score. The Crows tall forward Josh Jenkins played superbly as a stand in Taylor Walker, and he (Jenkins) was only let down by inaccurate kicking for goal, bagging 2 goals and 4 behinds.

The Crows were continually beaten at the clearances and let down by their poor tackling. Hawthorn booted the first four goals, almost with impunity with Brad Hill scoring two of those after Adelaide chains of play were broken by good tackling.

The Hawks extended their margin to 28 points shortly into the second term when Michael Osborne scored thanks to some inspiring work by Roughead.

It seemed that the Hawks, predictably were about to soar and leave the Crows well and truly plucked when Patrick Dangerfield started a series of events through domination in the midfield that saw the Crows start to cash in on their hard work. It almost goes without saying that Petrick Dangerfield is the standout player in any Crows side. His on-ball effort during the match was second to none.

Sam Kerridge worked hard and the Crows went on to a 4.5 to 0.1 scoring blitz which succeeded in tying the scores late in the second term. In fact, the pendulum had swung that far away from the Hawks that they didn’t score in the last 27 minutes of the second quarter. So far in this match, the bulk of the scoring was done at the northern end.

The half-time siren sounded with the Hawks up by two points. I thought to myself “game on.”

As Herself and I settled down and stood up for the obligatory stretch and look around, I noticed an interesting thing. A couple of weeks before, Herself and I came to a Power match at AAMI, and at half-time, a number of Power supporters disappeared and came back a short time later scoffing a pie or other heated foodstuff and washing it down with one form of carbonated drink or another. Half-time at this match and the Crows supporters largely stayed put, rummaging around in various sized carry bags, then producing a variety of Tupperware containers which had in it – you guessed – fruitcake squares. To wash down this home-made treat, the fans drank from similarly produced thermos flasks, and the smell of freshly brewed Nescafe coffee or Bushell’s tea permeated the immediate surrounds. Herself and I followed suite.

Just an observation………….Vive La Difference!!

The third quarter started off with just as much vigour as when we broke for fruit-cake and coffee. Sam Mitchell for the Hawks was proving to be a talon in the side of the Crows with his pace and unbending determination. In fact, his 10 kicks in the third quarter equalled his tally in the first half. He finished off with a blinding 29 possessions for the match and a great big elephant stamp from me for his performance.

Jack Gunston, the former Crow had a respectable game also kicking three majors. His 8 possessions for the match did not reflect his effort however.

The remainder of the quarter was pretty much head-to-head stuff with the Hawks leading by 5 points at the last change.

The final quarter saw Luke Breust, Jack Gunston and Jarryd Roughead combine for the Hawk’s vital goals. Bruest finished the game with a respectable 16 possessions and kicking 2 goals. Ex South Australian Paul Puopolo the busy small defender had in my mind, a standout game for the Hawks. His ability to apply pressure while tackling and then burst clear with the ball was quite evident during the match. He had 17 possessions and scored a goal for the Hawks.

The Hawks eventually ran out winners and the rest, as they say, is history. It is clear that Hawthorn is a class act and should be considered a major contender for the 2013 flag. However, time will tell.

And if I may be permitted another observation – These two teams of players go out every week and play their hearts out (that’s what I believe!). At about two thirds of the way through the last quarter, when it appeared that the Hawks were going to win the game, a number of Crows supporters “packed their collective bongos” and headed for the exits. Now I understand that they may have been trying to beat the traffic, or they may have had a medical emergency, or they may have left the stove on at home, or………….BUT – I believe that it the biggest discourtesy that you can show to your team to leave before the final siren and cheer them off the field, showing your support for them. After all, you have paid the big bucks for your club membership and your reserved seat, so “what the????”. These boys have played their best for themselves and for you, and if they get beaten, that’s unfortunate. It just seems to me sadly, that there are a lot of “fair weather” supporters, not just with the Crows, but with every team. Three more words….shame on you.

Now retired after working in the public sector for 38 years. With more time on my hands I have re-kindled my interest and love for Australian Rules Football. I call it this because it's not only the AFL that is important to me but grass roots football also. My local league, the SANFL in which I support the mighty Eagles, is the one I grew up with and I remember going to some wonderful games when you could reach out and touch the players and smell the liniment. Fortunately this still holds true, but the players seem to be a lot younger!

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